Womens Representation In The Un In The Twenty First Century

This paper investigates the underrepresentation of women in senior and leadership roles in the UN, shows us what this underrepresentation looks like in the twenty-first century, and offers explanations as to how and why this continues. This research seeks to highlight this underrepresentation by investigating the limitations of the internal structure of the UN. Previous literature provides findings that explain the role of three aspects of the UNs internal structure that reinforce this underrepresentation. Using data from the Status of women in the United Nations system on the improvement in the status of women in the United Nations and three case studies of women working in senior roles in the UN Secretariat from 2014, this paper puts these aspects into perspective by giving a visual of this underrepresentation as well as underscoring how these aspects have manifested in the organization and how they affect women working in the UN. Ultimately, there still is an underrepresentation of women in senior and leadership roles in the UN, and we can contribute this to different organizational and social structures.